ISE Review The strategic importance of AV


There are considerable grounds for optimism when the pro AV in- dustry converges once again on Amsterdam in February. Here is an overview of some of the technologies driving market growth.


Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) has long been the go-to event for discovering the latest market and technology trends in the professional audiovisual (AV) industry – and ISE 2020 will be no different. Visitors can expect to sense enormous confidence in the halls, not least because AVIXA’s 2019 AV Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA) Global Summa- ry saw the organisation raise its growth forecast, reflecting, it said, strong economies and demand for new products and services. From €224 billion in 2019, AVIXA now believes 2024 will see worldwide rev- enues for the industry reach €296 billion – outpacing global GDP growth. CEDIA’s research gives similar grounds for optimism. The UK alone, for example, represents a market valued at around €779 million, with home cine- ma installs rising 9% and 80% of participants in a CEDIA sur- vey expressing confidence that their revenues would rise over the coming year. It’s widely agreed that the success of both the commer- cial and residential sectors is a function of two key drivers: the proven value that AV solutions deliver, and the AV industry’s continuing embrace of new technologies. In the commer- cial world, AV is evolving from being ‘nice-to-have’ into a highly strategic asset.


AI’s growing importance


A recurring theme throughout the event is likely to be the growing importance of AI and machine learning. In smart homes, for example, ISE vis- itors can expect to see grow- ing evidence of manufacturers embracing the likes of Alexa and Google Assistant – both enabled by AI – responding to consumer desire for a more integrated ‘one ring to rule them all’ unified environment. That’s becoming increasingly important as growing numbers of home devices and applianc- es become IoT-enabled. ISE 2020 will reflect this shift in the connected homes market. On the commercial side, AI – especially in conjunction with sensors


such as embedded


cameras – is rapidly finding a place in digital signage (a market forecast by AVIXA to be worth $45 billion by 2024 – roughly 35% larger than 2019) as retailers especially look to try to create more personalised, more engaging, more relevant consumer experiences. In fact, researchers expect the pro AV industry to see greater adoption of AI in any market where cus- tomer experience is important, such as hospitality and health-


care. Hospitality companies will spend vast sums on AV in the coming years in order to meet and exceed the expec- tations of a travelling public deeply rooted in technology. AI is also believed to have the potential to transform unified communications and collabora- tion – and is already finding its way into AV solutions designed for education, where research indicates that almost nine out of ten pupils and students are now


leveraging the benefits


of AV technology for learning. Whatever the vertical market, ISE visitors can expect to see plenty of evidence of AI – in- cluding XR (extended reality) – being embedded across a num- ber of platforms.


LED proliferation


AI is very much a ‘behind the scenes’ technology. One of the most visible manifestations of change in the industry is the rapid rise in popularity of LED as the screen technolo- gy of choice. Not only does it bring unique advantages in the creative deployment of displays such as videowalls, but also, as its price declines, it is starting to displace single LCD screens. ISE 2020 is like- ly to provide further evidence of LED’s proliferation – and in the residential systems market too as ‘multi-screen’ becomes the new trend for home theatre installs.


A recurring question, howev-


er, is how long LED will enjoy its current place in the sun. OLED technology has numer- ous theoretical advantages in terms of image quality, instal- lability and the opportunity for highly creative deployments. It’s still, however, not without its challenges – notably in the area of price – and ISE 2020 will provide an opportunity to assess the progress it’s making toward prime time.


A perhaps surprising fact is


that, in the face of stiff compe- tition from flat panel displays, the projector market remains remarkably vibrant as it re- invents itself. Having largely eliminated the reasons not to buy – predominantly cost of ownership – with solid state illumination, new generations of projector are becoming in- creasingly application-specific. The success of projection isn’t limited to the commercial mar- ket: PMA Research reports that worldwide sales of 1080p con- sumer projectors have risen by nearly 30% year-on-year.


Audio developments


It’s not all about images on screens, however. So called ‘object-based audio’ has taken


ISE 2020 FAQs


What is Integrated Systems Europe?


the sound world by storm with its ability to deliver wholly im- mersive sound stages. Advanc- es in the ‘placing’ of sound are being matched by increasingly sophisticated DSPs that can ‘tune’ an installation to cre- ate the optimum match with the acoustics of the room. To- gether, they’re creating some jaw-dropping aural experienc- es – and those will be demon- strated at ISE. Audio is no less affected


by the progressive


‘IT-ification’ of the AV indus- try, and visitors can expect to see numerous new audio-over- IP products – not to mention a plethora of AV-over-IP plat- forms.


Those platforms – distributing video, audio, control signals and more over IP networks –


are becoming increasingly commonplace, and ISE 2020 visitors can expect to find more as the worlds of AV and IT pro- gressively converge, bringing new levels of flexibility, in- teroperability and scalability – not to mention security. Con- cerns about loss of image and sound quality have all but been eradicated. What’s exciting about ISE, however – and ISE 2020 will be no different – is not just finding out about the latest de- velopments in today’s AV tech- nology. Where the excitement really comes in is when you get taken by surprise by something that you didn’t expect. To find out what those surprises are, there’s no substitute for being in Amsterdam in February.


ISE is the leading trade show for the professional AV systems integration in- dustry. Held annually since 2004, it has grown to be- come the world’s biggest pro AV show.


Who owns ISE?


ISE is jointly owned by two professional associations: AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experiences As- sociation; and CEDIA, the Custom Electronics Design and Integration Association. Broadly speaking, these two bodies are concerned with the commercial and residential markets re- spectively. Each organises an extensive professional development


programme


at ISE, ranging from free 20-minute talks to all-day conferences.


Where is ISE held?


The RAI Amsterdam has been the regular home of ISE since 2007. Because of the show’s continued ex- pansion, it will relocate in 2021 to the Fira de Barce- lona.


How is the show floor or- ganised?


ISE 2020 will occupy all 15 halls at the RAI. The show floor is divided between ge- neric space and six Technol- ogy Zones: Audio and Live Events; Digital Signage and DooH (digital out of home); Education Technology; Res- idential; Smart Building;


and Unified Communications. When does ISE take place?


ISE 2020 is a four-day exhi- bition,


running 11th to Friday 14th February. from Tuesday


The professional development programme, which includes conferences and free presen- tations run by ISE and its partners as well as AVIXA and CEDIA,


begins 10th February. on


Monday


P14 AV News January 2020


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